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Ice castle may come to Nicollet Island in 2014-15

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is in discussions to bring the ice castle that was built at Mall of America last winter to Nicollet Island during the winter of 2014-15.

MPRB staff was originally approached about building the ice castle on Nicollet Island this winter, but the offer came in too late to perform the proper planning and community engagement required for a project of its size. This winter the ice castle will be built near Southdale Mall instead.

“Right now there’s still a lot of hoops to jump through,” said Shane Stenzel, Manager of Permits and Events at the MPRB. Stanzel said he will continue to work with Brent Christensen, the artist behind the ice castle structure, throughout the winter.

Stenzel and other MPRB staff will be looking at how the ice structures are made and what environmental impact they would have if built at Nicollet Island. Also they will continue to conduct community engagement to clear up any neighborhood concerns.

The Nicollet Island East Bank Neighborhood Association (NIEBNA) reacted positively to the potential of hosting an ice castle on the island, although the parking situation was a major concern.

The ice castle would be built on the open field area in front of the Nicollet Island Pavilion.